Running From the Shadows
by Pulchrite
Summary: The sequel to the story No Where to Hide: Five years have passed and Yoh has still been waiting for Anna to return. Can anyone convince him to move on with his life, or will he be able to prove she's still alive?
1. Comfort

**This is the sequel to the story "No Where to Hide". It is strongly recommended that you read the first story before delving into this one. It is possible to follow this story, but there will be references to the first that you may want to know. The chapters will be spaced out, so know that it will be completed. Just not at a rapid pace.**

**Other than that, enjoy. Don't forget to review.**

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Comfort

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The heavy rain beat against the roof of the house in the form of large pebbles and rolled onto the ground below. Unusual darkness filled the sky, causing the looming trees in the distance to appear as shadows. Fierce lightning briefly broke through the night as if daybreak had arrived, and thunder clapped violently and loudly through the air.

Despite the wind knocking small branches of adjacent trees against the windows, Hana was sleeping soundly through the storm. His heavy breathing was normal; his body was motionless aside from the expanding and collapsing of his chest and stomach. There was no disruption in his light snoring. His thin body was curled tightly underneath a large blanket, and a large pillow covered his face, spilling beautiful blonde strands onto the sheets.

Down the hall, his father finally went to bed. He had been watching Hana sleep for the past six hours and suddenly felt exhausted. Lying in bed on his back and supporting the back of his head with his hand, he remained staring at the ceiling motionless. He wanted to sleep, but his mind raced wildly, absorbing too many thoughts at once. The sheet and blanket began their nightly war with him, curling around one of his legs and making him hot. Frustrated by the reoccurrence, he kicked the blanket to the foot of the bed and sighed heavily. He hated the blanket war. Every night, the blanket would feel too hot, so Anna would push it over to the middle of the bed, causing the sheet to mysteriously wrap around his leg. These movements would make him very hot, and he would gently kick the blanket and sheet down to the end of the bed. The blanket war was more than just a frustration. It was almost as if his bed covers were taunting him.

"Anna, we need a new blanket. This one is possessed," he said jokingly aloud.

There was no answer. His smile quickly faded when he rolled over and saw the empty space beside him. The lightning lit up his bedroom for a few seconds as if reinforcing the reality. Sighing heavily a second time, he rolled over on his back again and stared at the ceiling without saying another word.

Tamao had been sitting on the floor outside his door for an hour. It was her usual ritual. She would shower early, put on her gray pajama pants and white t-shirt then search the house for anything that may be out of place. Once that was complete, she would make sure Hana was asleep for the night and wait for his father to come in. At the end of the night when everyone was in their bedrooms, she would go to her last destination before crashing in her own: Yoh's bedroom door. Leaning against the wall with her knees bent and her feet flat against the floor, she waited. Her beautiful pink hair had grown past her shoulders and was relaxed against her crossed arms. She rested her chin against her forearm when she heard him sigh. '_He's not asleep yet_,' she said to herself.

There was silence in the room for a few moments. Tamao braced herself for what she knew was to come. She held her breath for a few seconds then released it slowly when it came. The cries were stifled at first, as if he was either holding his breath or covering his face with his pillow. She closed her eyes tightly and pulled her arms in tighter when she heard the release. It was difficult to hear him cry the way he did. There was so much despair in his moans. She knew he felt lost, and she felt powerless to make things better. So, she made this nightly ritual of sitting by his door, listening to his pain, shedding uncontrollable tears of her own. He cried himself to sleep every night, and she waited for it. Once he was asleep she could finally go to bed at least knowing he had a small bit of peace for the moment.

But something was different about tonight. The storm seemed endless, but she was still able to hear him. She also could hear when he stopped abruptly. Just as she felt it was time for her to go to bed, she could feel his door slowly open. The shock filled her entire body. There was no way she would be able to explain herself.

"Tamao," he said softly, "is there something wrong?" His voice was fatigued and stuffy as if he had a cold.

She quickly jumped to her feet, unable to give him an answer. How do you tell a person that you've been sitting at their bedroom door every night for the past five years?

"Um...I...um...well," she was unable to gather any words to make a sentence.

"Have you been crying?" he asked suddenly, studying her face, "what's wrong?"

"Um, I thought maybe you needed some company. I can't sleep." She felt somewhat accomplished thinking so well on her feet, but was afraid of his answer. When she was finally able to look at his face, his red eyes and the swollen bags around them devastated her.

"Okay," he said softly.

"What?" His answer surprised her. In all the time she had been sitting at his door, she never mustered the courage to ask to come in. She felt that he needed to grieve in his own way and that if she ever intruded, he wouldn't be able to.

"I said okay. I can't sleep either," his smile made her even more uncomfortable.

"Um...okay then," As she followed him inside his bedroom she suddenly felt queasy. She had never been inside, even when Anna was alive. The room was so dark, she could barely see anything.

Yoh knew she wouldn't be able to adjust to the darkness quickly so he held her hand and guided her to his bed. She found a spot near the edge and tried to fit her entire body on it. He sat in front of her, but eventually lied across the bed with one of his pillows.

"Do you want a pillow?" he asked suddenly.

"Um...no."

"Okay then."

There was silence between them for a few minutes. Yoh was staring at the ceiling again, and Tamao was sitting nervously beside him with her legs crossed. Just as she was beginning to relax, he spoke again.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Thank you for being a good friend, Tamao. I don't know what we'd do without you," He continued to stare at the ceiling as he spoke.

His comforting words made her smile and calmed her down. She lied down beside him and they both stared at the ceiling.


	2. Doubt

**Doubt**

The familiar smell of breakfast traveled quickly through the house and seemingly directly into Hana's bedroom. He had been sleeping soundly until the savory aroma tickled his nostrils and forced him awake. Excited by the early wake up call, he fell out of his bed and onto the floor. Quickly recovering to his feet, he ran around his room to let the stinging wear off then bolted down to the kitchen. As he entered, the wonderful scents of the room intoxicated him. Much to his surprise, his mother was standing over the sink rinsing a spoon. He watched as the open window allowed a small wind to blow her beautiful blond hair back and forth. She was wearing a white scarf on her head that was neatly tied in the back, and she was still in her pajamas. Hana blinked his eyes slowly a few times because he thought they were deceiving him. His mother shifted her body weight slightly and the sun's rays blinded his view of her.

"Mama?" He whispered it at first.

She didn't respond.

"Mama, is that you?" The second time he yelled from pure excitement. His voice startled her and she spun around.

"Hana, you're awake," she said calmly, smiling at him weakly.

When she finally moved away from the window and stepped closer to him, he noticed her hair wasn't blonde at all. It was actually pink...

"I'm sorry. I thought you were..." he replied sadly.

"Its okay, Hana. I know." Tamao didn't seem to worry about him calling her 'Mama'. She knew he missed Anna. In fact, she was used to coming in the kitchen early to start breakfast, waking Hana up, and then he would eventually come into the kitchen thinking his mother was cooking breakfast. This case of mistaken identity occurred almost every day. Tamao would accept it because she wanted to keep his memories of her alive and in order to do that, she couldn't break down every time he mistook her for Anna. "Why don't you sit down? It's ready."

---

"How long have I been asleep?" Yoh grumbled as he rolled back and forth across his bed. The sun's light filled his entire bedroom and almost stung his skin. As he sat up, his hair sat on top of his head and all over his face like a large brown basket. He gagged slightly, attempting to pull the hair out of his mouth. His hair preoccupied him so much he almost didn't smell the food from downstairs. "Breakfast," he said, smiling.

He decided to clean himself up before heading to the kitchen. As he looked in the mirror he paused and laughed at himself. He brushed his teeth thoroughly, scrubbed his face, combed his hair as best he could, and paused in order to decide on taking a shower. After briefly raising his arms and smelling underneath them he decided to skip bathing. Looking at himself in the bathroom mirror one last time, he walked back into his bedroom to change his pants. Suddenly his entire body froze. He was staring at his bed, trying to blink. The thoughts in his mind raced around at rapid pace and he opened his mouth for a few seconds before he could speak.

"Hello, Yoh." There was a woman standing beside his bed. Her voice was calm and smooth. She didn't move but motioned for him to come closer.

"Anna?" He could barely speak.

"Yes. I missed you." As she smiled at him her eyes appeared to sparkle.

"Am I dreaming?" He asked, hoping he wasn't.

"No. I'm close."

He blinked his eyes again, but she didn't disappear. 'What is going on?' he thought to himself.

"I'm close, Yoh. Closer than you think." He was able to sense slight desperation in her voice. As he stared at her face, her eyes seemed to change color.

"Who are you?" He asked suddenly. A chill ran from the back of his neck all the way down his spine.

"I'm you're wife."

"No you're not."

Her beautiful smile quickly grew into an angry frown. He blinked again and she was gone. He sat down at the edge of his bed, trying to determine if he was dreaming. He could smell food; that confused him. Suddenly his son bolted through the door way.

"Are you hungry? Tamao made breakfast. It's really good!!" He exclaimed happily.

"I'm awake. I'm not dreaming." He said softly.

"What?" Hana seemed confused.

"I'll come down. I'm starving." Yoh smiled at his son calmly then allowed him to grab his hand and lead him downstairs. When they arrived in the kitchen, Tamao was sitting at the table nibbling at her food as if she wasn't hungry.

"You're awake!" She said happily.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Hana said, releasing his father's hand and disappearing in the hallway. Yoh was standing in the middle of the kitchen and staring at the floor.

"Are you feeling well?" Tamao asked. Spending the night with him boosted her confidence and it was evident in her voice.

"That's it!" He shouted suddenly. Tamao gasped as he ran to the table, grabbed her arms and pulled her out of her chair.

"What are you talking about, Yoh?" She asked concerned.

"She's alive, Tamao!"

"Yoh," she started. She had heard this before and didn't want the conversation to end like it always did; with him in tears.

"I saw her. She's alive!"

"Yoh," she sighed and closed her eyes, "Anna's been dead for five...wait, you said you saw her?" She was startled by his words.

He didn't respond. Instead, he smiled at her and then held her in a tight embrace.


	3. Trepidation

Trepidation 

Hana always enjoyed long Saturday afternoon walks with his father. They would talk about everything from sports to movies and sometimes nothing at all. He held his father's hand tightly as they walked along the dirt path. This particular journey, however, made Hana very uneasy. His father was very happy, almost giddy, and it made him uncomfortable.

"So, what's going on with you?" Yoh asked happily.

"I'm in school." His son replied timidly.

"How's school?" Yoh's grin seemed almost painful

"Um, school's okay, I guess. Papa, can we talk about something else?" His response began as a sigh and ended as a soft whisper.

"Sure. What's wrong? You seem upset about something." Yoh stopped his pace and sat on the grass, pulling his son down with him.

"It's about this morning. I heard you talking about Mama. You said she was alive…" Hana started.

"I didn't know you heard me," He placed his arm around his son when he frowned, "I wasn't going to tell you yet, but yes, she's alive." Yoh's giggle made him much more uncomfortable.

"I don't understand. How do you know she's alive?" Hana sounded frustrated as he spoke, and his eyes were beginning to fill with tears.

"Don't worry, Hana. We have to wait, but I'll explain everything in good time."

* * *

"Thank you so much for coming," Tamao said nervously as she brought a tray of tea to the table. She had invited Manta, Horo, Ryu and Ren to the house. Although Yoh's friends had moved away after Anna's death, they seemed to spend more time in the neighborhood than their own homes.

"What's wrong?" Manta asked.

"Well, I don't know really." When Tamao saw that they were confused, she continued, "This morning, Yoh told me that he saw Anna."

There was an uncomfortable pause after she spoke.

"Anna's dead," Ren said finally.

"I know," Tamao replied.

"We all saw her at the hospital, Tamao." He seemed angry as he spoke.

"I know," she repeated.

"We were all at the funeral." Ren's anger caused his pitch to elevate.

"He said he saw her. I don't think he would lie about that." She began tapping her fingernails against the table.

"Maybe he saw her in a dream and thought it was real," Ryu suggested.

"I don't know, he didn't explain. He just said he knew she was alive because he saw her." Tamao bit her bottom lip and spoke again, "I just don't want this to be like before. I don't want reality to set in again and then he'll be devastated because she doesn't come back."

"Then maybe you should talk to him about this, Tamao," Horo said uneasily, "He's seriously starting to sound crazy."

"He went crazy years ago," Ren mumbled.

"Yoh's not crazy, guys. He's just grieving. We can't force him to move on if he's not ready." Manta said.

"We can force him to face reality, Manta. As much as we all miss her, she's not coming back. We've all accepted that; he needs to do the same." Ren stood as he spoke.

"You should definitely talk to him. Maybe he can explain himself," Ryu said.

"I'll talk to him. Thanks for helping me." Tamao stood and led the others to the door, "You can visit anytime. I think Yoh misses having you around." She said.

"What if he did see her?" Manta asked after Tamao closed the door.

"Then we have a serious problem," Horo said.

"I'll see you all later," Ren said abruptly, increasing speed as he walked away.

"Where are you going?" Ryu said.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow. There's something I have to do." Without turning around, he continued his pace and disappeared behind the trees.

"I think this whole thing really made Ren upset," Horo said.

"Yeah, he's frustrated that Yoh can't seem to move on." Ryu added.

"I think he's still grieving. He really liked Anna, and with Yoh saying she's alive, it's getting under his skin. He acts like he blames Yoh for her death." Manta stared at the ground and sighed.

"Well, hopefully Tamao will be able to talk some sense into him before this whole thing explodes," Horo said as they began to walk away from the house.

* * *

Ren had been walking for some time before he reached his destination. He paused for a moment and sighed heavily. After closing his eyes for a few seconds and curling his fists into balls, he began walking again.

The cemetery was very quiet except for the birds that flew over his head. The air was still, and the grass was starting to grow taller than it should above the headstones. He continued walking slowly until he saw what he was looking for. He read the name aloud:

"Anna Asakura: Beloved mother and wife…" He started. Instead of reading the rest, he just stood in front of it as if in a trance. After long seconds of complete silence, he finally spoke.

"Anna, you had better be dead because if you're not..." He stopped and scratched his head.

"Don't torture Yoh. He loves you. He misses you..." He suddenly felt frustrated at his inability to say what he was feeling.

"I love you. We all do. Just...give him peace." Unable to continue, he closed his eyes again, clenched his fists tightly and walked away.


	4. Awakening

**Awakening**

Tamao waited until Hana was asleep and all of her chores were done before talking to Yoh. He was sitting on the floor with the childish grin he had all day. When Tamao entered the room he smiled at her.

"Hi, Tamao!" His enthusiasm threw her off balance. She sat down in front of him and sighed.

"Hi, Yoh." She paused for a moment, but as she was about to speak again he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Falling into a trance for a few seconds and then regaining her composure, she spoke again.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"Just felt like it," He spoke very quickly and his voice was high-pitched as if he had eaten too much candy.

"Um...Yoh, I want to talk about what you said to me about Anna," she held his hand and sighed.

"You mean about her being alive?" He asked calmly.

She stared him amazed at how calmly he spoke about the possibility. "I don't really know what you meant by what you said."

"I meant she's alive." His reply was calmer than before.

"Um..." His comments were making her uncomfortable, "You said you saw her?" she asked, removing her hand from his and tapping her fingernails together.

He laughed slightly, throwing her even more off track, and said, "I shouldn't have said that. She looked like her, but she wasn't Anna."

"What?" Tamao tried to be as understanding as possible, but he was starting to sound out of his mind.

"She was a messenger. I didn't realize it at the time, but she appeared to let me know Anna is alive. I had to figure it out...like a riddle...because she wasn't going to just come out and tell me. That would have been too easy..." He began to ramble on, causing Tamao's discomfort to skyrocket. She finally interrupted him in what she felt was a desperate attempt to save his sanity.

"Are you listening to yourself, Yoh? I hate to say it but you're beginning to sound..." she mumbled when he interrupted her plea.

"You think I'm crazy? I'm not crazy, Tamao. Anna's alive and I'm going to find her. I wasn't dreaming. The messenger told me I wasn't dreaming. I know she's alive. Tamao..." She was staring at the floor while he spoke so he grabbed her arm roughly. "Listen to me. I'm not crazy. You believe me, don't you?" He didn't give her time to respond, "I'm going to find her!"

"Please let go of me," she said. He could sense fear in her voice.

"I need you to believe me, Tamao. You're the only one Hana and I can trust." When he saw her confused facial expression he had to elaborate. "They all think I'm crazy. They can't help me find her, but you can. You believe me, don't you?" He released his grip and scratched his head.

She sat and stared at him for a long, uncomfortable pause. Then she said softly, "I believe you, Yoh."

Ecstatic by her words, he lunged at her and hugged her with all of his strength. She held his back with her arms, stared wide-eyed at the ceiling and said to herself, 'He's lost it.'

* * *

As she slowly opened her eyes, the coal ceiling greeted them with silence. The darkness of the room revealed her awakening had been hours before the sun was due to pour out its rays. After few seconds of numbness a sudden pierce of pain shot from her toes and sprung up violently through her body. The discomfort helped to bounce around the puzzle pieces of her memory. "This isn't my house," she whispered. As the pieces began to set in place in her mind, more memories returned. She sat upright and began looking around the large dark room for other inhabitants. "Where is everyone?" She asked as she pushed back the brown blanket and touched the cold floor with her bare feet. 

Opening the large iron door was a challenge for her weak body. After several rounds of pulling at the handle, gritting her teeth, groaning, and the occasional instance of getting her blond hair stuck inside the small cracks, she finally willed the steel mass to move. When she could make an aperture large enough to slide her body through she fell unexpectedly into the hallway. She remained on the floor for a few seconds as if her legs had no power left in them. Rising slowly to her knees and bracing herself with her hands, she heard footsteps. Blinking her eyes rapidly, she was able to see a man walking toward her. His appearance confused her; he was wearing seemingly over sized pants with a large cloak that covered whatever was underneath. She was unable to see his face, even when he was suddenly standing over her.

"What are you doing?" His voice seemed irritated.

"What?" She rose slowly and rubbed her eyes to see his face more clearly.

"Anna, you should be in bed. That's why you're on the floor right now. You're too weak to be wandering around."

"Who are you?"

Seemingly surprised by her question, he knelt down beside her and groaned. "Have you forgotten already?"

As she stared into his brown eyes, her own glimmered with happiness. "Yoh!" She exclaimed happily.

Her answer floored him for a moment and he was suddenly uneasy. He paused to regain his composure and softened his voice. "What? No, Anna. I'm not who you think I am."

"Your hair has grown," she replied as if she didn't hear him and began running her fingers through the long brown strands.

"Do you even realize what's happened to you?" He seemed surprised from her response but had to probe her.

"What are we doing here? Where is Hana?" As she overloaded him with questions she used the wall to stand on her feet.

"You're healing. Do you remember what happened? I saved your life when those idiot doctors of yours didn't know what they were doing. They killed you, I brought you back," his voice seemed extremely irritated as he spoke.

"What are you talking about?" Anna seemed very confused by his explanation.

"This is a very complicated situation, Anna. You wouldn't understand it if I told you anyway. You need rest, so go back in your room before I drag you back," as he spoke he opened the door and held out his hand for her.

"Don't you talk to me like that, Yoh. Have you lost your mind?" She folded her arms in protest.

"Just go back in your room. You need rest," he remained calm even though she was irritating him.

"I'm not leaving this spot. Stop wasting your breath. Where is Hana?" She held her arms tighter and closed her eyes.

"He doesn't know you're alive, Anna. No one does. Only me," he said calmly.

"What did you say?" She asked breathlessly, opening her eyes wildly.

"Take my hand," he said suddenly as he approached her quickly.

"Don't touch me," she tried to yell at him but her voice was only strong enough for a whimper, "Why would any one think I'm dead?"

"You're blacking out. Just take my hand!"

As he spoke the hallway began to spin. She was able to look into his eyes one last time before falling into his arms and completely losing consciousness.


	5. Regret

**Regret**

_Dreariness crept into the cold room and shrouded him in complete darkness. He could not hear the voices of his friends who were calling out to him nor could he hear the mournful tears of his son. Everyone had disappeared from his sight except for the frigid body of his wife who still lied motionless in his arms. Staring at her in silence, he admired the smooth skin of her face that had grown pale and lifeless. His trembling fingers ran through her blond hair that was surprisingly soft and vibrant. He caressed her arm with his fingers and made his way down to her hand._

_The cloak began to move away slightly as the hospital attendants surrounded the bed._

"_Mr. Asakura, we have to take her now," a tall man with a husky voice said._

_He could not hear them and probably did not see them. There was nothing else on his mind except for the woman he loved. When the word "morgue" filtered through the cloak slightly and into his ear, he lifted his eyes to see who they were._

"_Mr. Asakura, please, it's time to say goodbye," another said sadly._

"_She's taking a nap," he finally spoke with much authority and irritation._

"_Mr. Asakura..."_

"_I said she's taking a nap. You're disturbing her. Leave us," he glared at them with much hatred._

"_Call security," a short woman with thick red hair whispered._

"_Please, we have to take her now," another man said impatiently as he reached for her. The other attendants joined in, trying to pull his beloved from his grasp._

"_She's not dead! What are you doing?" He screamed at them hysterically._

_Two others tried to calm him down by restraining him. When they finally were able to lay her onto another bed, he began screaming and punching them._

"_Get away from her!" He was screaming so loudly his voice began to wane. During the commotion, security officers rushed into the room to restrain him. "Stop it!" He screamed, "She's not dead! She squeezed my hand! She's not dead!" _

_No one was listening to him. Instead the officers had to drag him out of the room and into the waiting room where his friends were while the attendants hurried off to the morgue. He continued to scream for his life as his friends looked on in horror._

"_She's not dead! She's Not Dead! SHE'S NOT DEAD!"_

* * *

"Yoh!" Startled by Tamao's voice, he sat upright in his bed in a cold sweat. "Are you okay? I heard you screaming."

He tried to answer her but was unable to catch his breath.

"Everything's okay now. Is there anything I can get for you?"

"She's not dead, Tamao," he was finally able to say.

"I know, Yoh. Everything's okay. It was just a bad dream. Go back to sleep." She covered his forehead with a wet towel.

"I have to find her before its too late," he said breathlessly.

"Yoh, we'll find her. You need to get some rest. Please, go back to sleep." As she turned away to leave him he grabbed her arm.

"Please, don't go," he whispered. His fearful tone made her very uncomfortable. She knew he was very vulnerable and did not want to forsake him.

"I'll stay for a few minutes, but then you have to go to sleep," she said, smiling at him.

"Stay for the night." He pulled off the towel and settled back under his blanket.

"I can't do that, Yoh," She was confused suddenly and very uneasy.

"Please. I need you," He whispered.

Tamao felt it was a very bad idea to stay in his bedroom, but felt uncomfortable with walking away because she didn't want him to feel abandoned. She decided to be honest with him as much as possible and hoped he would understand. "Yoh, you are making me very uncomfortable. I don't think it would be a good idea for me to stay with you tonight."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"You've done it before," he protested.

"This is different."

"Why?" She felt cornered by his question but decided to remain honest.

"It's not appropriate. It wasn't appropriate then. I have my own room and bed, and that's were I should be. I'm not abandoning you; I just need to be comfortable in this house." As soon as she finished her explanation she regretted all of her words.

"Do you think I want to have sex with you?" he asked suddenly.

The question made her gasp and then choke on her saliva. She coughed for several seconds then whispered, "Why are you asking me that?"

"Please just answer me," he said calmly.

"No!" she exclaimed, "No, I don't think that. Why would I think that? That would be...strange. I don't understand why you would think that I would think that..." She stopped abruptly when she felt herself rambling.

"Do you want to have sex with me?" His question made her face glow bright red.

"No!" She spoke so fast and loudly she had to repeat it with a whisper.

"I don't understand what the problem is then." Yoh seemed to have forgotten his nightmare and was overly calm. "We're friends, aren't we? I just don't want to sleep alone, but if you think it's inappropriate I understand."

"I'm sorry, Yoh. I didn't mean to offend you. I can stay." She had hoped her comments didn't change his view of her.

He smiled at her weakly then said, "Thank you."

She sat next to him on the bed and was hesitant to slide under the blanket. Realizing his room was very cool, she was forced to indulge, pulling the blanket up to her neck. When she was settled into a comfortable position on her side she noticed he was lying on his side as well and staring at her.

"Don't do that," she said abruptly.

"Don't do what?" he asked.

"Stop looking at me," she complained.

"Why?" he asked, sliding closer to her.

"You're making me uncomfortable," she said without looking at him.

"Why?" he asked again.

"What are you doing?" Her voice sounded irritated although she was afraid.

"I was just watching you," he said calmly.

"Why would you do that? You should be asleep anyway," she mumbled.

"You're very pretty," he said.

"What?" She looked at him briefly but was unable to match his gaze.

"I said you're very pretty. I don't think I've ever told you that before. I watch you a lot. You have a system for doing everything and it's very interesting," he held out his hand and brushed her hair away from her face, sending crippling chills down her spine.

"Thank you, I guess," she said nervously, "Good night."

"Good night," he said smiling at her. She waited for him to roll over, but he continued to lay there staring at her. Never feeling more uncomfortable about anything else in her life, she closed her eyes for what seemed like several minutes and opened them again. To her surprise he was still staring at her and seemed to be closer to her face.

"What's wrong?" She asked uneasily.

"Can I kiss you?" As she held her breath slightly he continued, "I know it sounds strange, but I just would like to kiss you if that's okay."

"Why?" She asked.

"I...don't know. It'll just be on the cheek, I promise. Please?" Tamao stared at him for a few seconds unable to answer. She was beginning to wonder if this was part of him going out of his mind. His smile seemed very demented and uncomfortable. She also felt the need to keep him from unlocking a Pandora's Box of emotions she'd kept buried for years.

"Um, no you can't," she said while turning over.

"Okay," he sighed. She could hear the disappointment in his voice, "Good night."

He then slid all the way over to her side and wrapped his arms around her. Feeling his body against her back made her stomach cramp violently and her body began to shake. His warm breath against her neck made her toes tingle. As much as she loved the idea of being in his arms, she couldn't help but feel guilty. After several minutes of lying in silence, she decided to say something.

"Yoh," she said as she shifted her body weight, forcing him to move his arms. He had dozed off from the comfortable position.

"Yeah?" He asked sleepily.

"Could you move over a bit?" She asked.

"Yeah," he said without looking at her. He then he rolled over onto his stomach and began to snore. She watched him in silence but then felt the overwhelming need to vent.

"Yoh?" She called softly. There was no answer so she continued. "I'm sorry about Anna. I know how much you loved her and how happy you two were. But I can't be here for you the way you want me to be. I'm trying to be your friend here, but it's hard. Very hard. I don't want to hurt you, but I've gone on too long lying to you. Lying to myself," she sighed, "I want to be your best friend. I want to be able to give you everything you need but I can't. I can't be the friend you want me to be. I love you. I love you too much to just be your friend. What am I saying? I just love you, okay? I want you to be okay. That's all." She pulled the blanket tighter around her neck and closed her eyes.

"I love you too," he said softly.

When she heard him speak, her heart sank into her stomach and she opened her eyes wildly. Her thoughts began to jumble vigorously through her mind, _'He didn't hear me, did he? He couldn't have heard me? He was asleep, wasn't he? What have I done?!'_

"Yoh?" She whimpered.

The silence made her sick to her stomach.


	6. Wound

**Wound**

The sun's beams fell gently into the room as she stirred. Light bounced from wall to wall and eventually onto the bed. Blinking her eyes softly she realized morning had arrived and that she had been sleeping much longer than anticipated. As she gently rubbed her legs together underneath the blanket, she suddenly realized there was someone else in the bed. She scratched her wild pink head of hair and sat upright. After the initial semi seconds of confusion wore off she quickly remembered the events from the night before. "I should leave," she said softly.

"Hmm?" He mumbled. Yoh was lying on his stomach, but she could see his face buried under thick strands of his hair.

"He's still asleep," she whispered. Knowing she should have probably left, something kept her from moving. She couldn't seem to stop staring at him, watching him breathe deeply and remain completely still. "So peaceful," she said as she felt her body settle back underneath the blanket beside him.

Although he was still asleep, he could feel her movements and shifted his body weight without opening his eyes. This frightened her because now his face was inches away from hers and one of his arms was resting on her hip. The sudden urge to kiss his lips was stifled by fear so she sat upright in the bed again.

Tamao's movements woke Yoh up slightly and he began rubbing his eyes. After a few seconds of yawning he opened them slowly and smiled at her.

"Good morning," he said softly. Although he was smiling, his facial expression revealed his disappointment.

"Good morning," she replied timidly, "I think it's late." 

Yoh began a series of yawns and stretches as he sat upright in the bed next to her. "It's okay to sleep in every now and then," he said calmly.

"We should talk," she said timidly.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked as he scratched his head.

"Well…" she hesitated.

"Is this about last night?" his facial expression didn't change.

She was suddenly afraid of what was about to be said. "I guess you heard me…" she mumbled.

He slightly frowned as if he was confused on the topic, but she continued.

"I need to clarify what I said. I mean, I didn't mean it. Well, I meant it but I didn't mean for it to come out that way. I don't know," she knew she was rambling but couldn't help herself, "I don't want anything to change between us. That's not what I meant."

He interrupted her suddenly by shifting his body weight and placing his hand on her shoulder. She stopped and looked into his eyes briefly, but was ashamed to meet his gaze.

"What are you talking about?" He asked after several seconds of silence.

"What?" She replied. His question caught her off guard.

"I'm sorry; it's just that you're not making any sense."

His declaration made her speechless. At this point she wasn't sure how to proceed, and his blank expression didn't give anything away.

"You said you loved me," she said softly, quickly regretting her haste in responding.

"I do love you," he said calmly.

"I don't know what you mean by that."

She wanted him to explain himself. Her fear intensified because she knew he was going to say something that she didn't want to hear. After all, the one thing she had always desired to hear from him would never be said.

Before he could start his explanation, she interrupted him, "Never mind. You don't have to elaborate. I understand."

He would have broken her heart. She was sure of it. Although she knew the reality of the situation, she was never able to extinguish the hope in her fantasies.

"I owe you an apology," he said after he was allowed to speak again.

"An apology? For what?"

"I realize I made you very uncomfortable last night. I don't want you feel that way here. And, I promise, it won't happen again." He smiled at her weakly.

She knew he was right, but she couldn't help the disappointment.

"You don't have to apologize, Yoh. I'm your friend, right?" She said sadly.

"Thanks for understanding," he said while stepping out of the bed, "Let me wash up. I forgot Ren's coming today," he called as he disappeared into the bathroom.

His nonchalant statement sent chills down her spine. She panicked as she leapt out of the bedroom and into her own to find clothes. The noises from downstairs distracted her slightly and she quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth as if someone were chasing her. Almost tumbling down the stairs she arrived in the kitchen out of breath. Hana and Ren were sitting at the breakfast table and they ended their conversation abruptly when they saw her.

"Good morning, Tamao," Ren said slowly.

"Are you okay?" Hana asked worriedly.

After taking a few seconds to catch her breath she replied, "Hi, um, yeah, I'm okay. When did you get here?"

"Almost an hour ago," Ren replied, "Hana let me in."

"I thought Papa was sleeping, and I didn't know where you were," Hana added apologetically.

"Hey Ren," Yoh called from behind. Within seconds he was behind her and had brushed her shoulder while passing into the kitchen. The physical contact made her very nervous, and she looked away from Ren who was now staring at her, "Good morning, Hana."

"Don't you mean good afternoon?" Ren replied sarcastically.

"It's that late?" Yoh asked him with a frown, "I have to go pick up the bag I bought for Hana."

"What bag?" Ren asked. Yoh didn't respond because Hana jumped from his seat to tackle his father.

"Can I go with you? Let's go get it now!! Please!?" He begged.

"Eh, I guess," Yoh replied.

"It's for school," Tamao added, although Ren didn't appear to be interested since he was still staring at her.

"Okay then. I guess we'll be back. Ren are you going to stick around for a while?" Yoh asked as he and Hana were leaving.

"I'll be here," he replied blankly.

Suddenly Tamao and Ren were alone in the room, and the silence was awkward and uncomfortable. She sat at the table across from him, but felt too nervous to speak. Ren glanced at the table seemingly in deep thought then stared at her again. When she looked at him briefly, his eyes made her stomach cramp.

"So, what were you guys planning to do today?" She asked nervously.

He ignored her question and responded with one of his own, "Where have you been?"

"I don't know what you mean," she replied, avoiding his eyes.

"It's two o'clock in the afternoon," he added in an irritated tone.

"Yeah, I must have over slept or something. I can't believe it's so late!" She added an uncomfortable laugh on the end.

"Hana said you weren't in your room."

They sat in silence for another few seconds. She began scratching her head but was interrupted when he started to speak again.

"I'm going to be optimistic here and assume that you wouldn't stoop so low," His voice was calm, but very stern.

"What are you talking about?" Her lips quivered as she spoke.

"Don't insult my intelligence," he was staring at the wall behind her now, "Hana hasn't put anything together here, but I'm not an eleven year old."

She didn't know exactly what he meant, but she assumed he had guessed that Yoh had not been alone. Tapping the table with her fingertips, she spoke again.

"I think you have the wrong idea, Ren," she started.

"Well, let's just hope I do."

She didn't know what to say to him. He had managed to make her regret her decision; and she felt she needed to explain herself. Much to her surprise he changed the subject of their conversation as if it hadn't taken place.

"So did you talk to him about the Anna sighting?"

"Um, yeah. He thinks she's alive. Actually he said he saw a messenger who told him she was alive." Talking about Anna allowed her to relax slightly.

"A messenger told him she was alive?" His question sounded more like he was just repeating her statement.

"Well, she didn't exactly tell him that, but he said it was like a riddle," she avoided his eyes because she knew how it sounded.

"It sounds like all of the other crazy things he's said."

"He wants me to help him find her," she said after a brief pause.

Ren seemed extremely irritated by her comment. He shifted his body weight and mumbled something inaudible under his breath. Tamao stared at him for a few seconds biting her lip and then spoke again.

"I don't know what to think, Ren. I told him I would help him," she said weakly.

"You're willing to help him even if he never finds her? You'll help him until he finally realizes she's dead?" He asked without looking at her.

After another few hesitant seconds of silence she said, "Yes."

"Well maybe you're both crazy then."


	7. Acknowledgment

**Acknowledgment**

The morning sun gleamed brightly through the tainted glass window like a beacon as she arose from her seemingly endless slumber. As she sat upright and gently rubbed her eyes she slowly surveyed the lit room. "It's so cold in here," she said softly as she pulled the warm covers over her shoulders. The sudden movement of the bedroom door startled her slightly, and she curled her knees into her chest nervously.

"Are you awake?" the male voice asked. Relieved at the sound of a familiar voice, she relaxed.

"I'm awake."

"Good." He walked inside the room calmly, stood against the wall and stared at her.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she slid off of the bed and stood in front of him. The stone beneath her feet made her feel even more frigid.

"I suppose you're feeling better," his voice was scratchy as if he needed to clear his throat.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" She stared at him blankly.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked, stepping closer.

"Of course I do."

He stared at her in silence waiting for her to speak again. Noticing this pause, she frowned at him.

"What is it?" She asked impatiently.

"Who am I?" He asked finally.

After mumbling under her breath she replied, "You're Hao, the Kidnapper."

"What?" The accusation angered him but he was pleased with her memory, "You think I kidnapped you?"

"I think that's obvious," he couldn't tell if her blank reply was sarcasm. Feeling much too irritated to explain to her, he dropped a small pile of clothes on the bed.

"Get dressed. I'll come back later," He said and swiftly exited almost as if he had no feet.

Anna felt suddenly disturbed by the short conversation. She had assumed he was holding her against her will even though she had no memory of how she got there. The thought frightened her, but she was unwilling to appear afraid.

Walking very quickly to the bathroom whose opening was directly in front of the bed, she noticed there were towels, soap and combs for her hair. The most impressive object in the room stood directly in front of her. A massive stone shower. She undressed within seconds and opened the large glass door. "I hope this gets pretty hot," she said, noticing the goose bumps on her arms. She turned the large dial in front of her and a steady pour of heated water fell from directly above her head. The soothing downpour was just the relief she needed from the cold cell she had slept in. Steam rose quickly inside and engulfed her in a wonderful fog of comfort and ease. She held her head back to catch some of the water on her face then pushed it away from her skin with one of her hands. Through the water and heavy steam she could see the outline of a figure standing in the doorway.

He was watching her.

Ignoring the discovery, she continued to bathe herself with great patience. Wanting to stay in the stall forever, she knew she would eventually have to leave. After several minutes of standing still under the downpour she pushed all of her soaking hair away from her face and turned the dial again. The heated rainfall stopped abruptly and she stood inside for a few seconds to savor the heat for one last time. As she opened the glass door and stepped out of the stall she noticed he had disappeared.

She quickly wrapped her body in one of the towels and shivered from the cold air.

"Are you done yet?" He called impatiently from the bedroom door.

He startled her slightly but her voice didn't make this evident.

"You should at least allow me a small amount of privacy," She called to him angrily. The bathroom door looked too heavy for her to close, so she dried the water from her body as quickly as possible while staring out into the bedroom.

"I can't see you," he sighed.

"Good," she replied, wrapping one towel tightly around her body and another over her hair. The cold stone beneath her feet was almost unbearable as she walked back to the bed to retrieve the clothing he brought for her. Grabbing the brown t-shirt and black pants hastily, she paused and stared at him.

He was standing near the bedroom door and leaning against the wall. When she looked at him he frowned and sighed.

"What?" He asked.

"I need to get dressed," she said slowly.

"I know," he answered.

She blinked at him slowly.

"There are bras and panties in that chest next to the bed," he added.

They stood staring at each other for several seconds until she rolled her eyes at him.

"Get out," she growled.

He seemed unaware of her need for privacy until she barked at him. Without protesting he opened the bedroom door and disappeared down the hallway.

* * *

Hao and Anna sat across from each other at the table without speaking for several minutes. Something about the air was awkward, and she didn't feel comfortable looking at him. As she hesitated to speak he stared at her thoughtfully and broke the silence.

"What do you remember? And be honest."

She frowned at him slightly but cleared her throat and replied, "I remember waking up today."

"Anything else?"

"I remember you kidnapping me and holding me here against my will," she growled.

"You couldn't remember such a thing because it didn't happen," he said calmly.

His statement caught her off guard, and she was forced to pause. She had to figure out why she was there, and the only logical explanation she could gather was abduction. As jumbled thoughts circled her mind, she was interrupted by his voice.

"You could just ask," he said, noticing her bewilderment.

"Fine," she sighed, "If you didn't kidnap me why am I here?"

He was noticeably disappointed by her question but answered anyway.

"You're recovering."

"And I can't 'recover' at home because?"

"Complicated."

His ambiguity irritated her and she mumbled something inaudible under her breath. While tapping her fingernail against the table she said, "Explain it to me."

"You don't remember anything before today?" He asked.

She paused for a moment and frowned as if rummaging through her brain and replied, "I remember Yoh."

"Do you remember being sick?" She noticed he had grown less calm.

"Sick?" She tried to continue but he interrupted.

"You don't remember," he sighed, "Well, I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"I want to go home," she blurted suddenly.

"You can't."

"Why not? You say you didn't kidnap me but I can't go home?" Her irritation developed quickly into anger.

"I told you. You're recovering."

"Yes, you said that and you're not making any sense. I want to know what's going on here and I want to know now. Start talking!" She folded her arms in disgust.

He closed his eyes briefly and sighed heavily. Hao knew eventually he would have to explain himself, but it had been easier caring for her when she wasn't fully aware of herself and her surroundings. Taking a few moments to calm himself he said, "My name is Hao."

"I know that," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, but this isn't the first time I've had to tell you," he tried to keep his voice calm although he had grown very annoyed.

"What do you mean?"

"Your name is Anna. You were sick for a long time and almost died. I saved your life, and now you're recovering," he spoke very slowly as if she couldn't hear him.

"That was so much information," she said sarcastically.

"I condensed it for a reason," he spat bitterly.

"And why is that?"

"We've had this conversation before."

"What?" His statement floored her momentarily. She frowned at him quizzically, but did not speak.

"I can't remember how many times I've told you the long version. You should remember something by now," she noticed the worry in his eyes.

"Maybe it will come back to me. I'm sure I would remember if I talked to Yoh," she said warmly.

"You can't talk to him," he said quickly.

"He's my husband. Why can't I talk to him?" She asked, growing angry again.

"So you remember being married, but you don't remember being sick," he said with a frown.

"Answer my question!" She didn't intend to yell at him but wasn't apologetic.

"Yoh thinks you're dead," he replied blankly.

She sat in shock for a few seconds but recovered quickly, "Why would ANYONE think I'm dead?"

He sighed again. She wasn't going to accept his short responses. Closing his eyes again he spoke slowly.

"Your doctors gave you medicine that almost killed you," he started.

"What?' She dropped her hands into her lap as he continued.

"They thought you were dead because your heart stopped. Yoh was at the hospital with you and was there when they took your body to the morgue," his voice was blank and cold.

"Morgue," she whispered. He continued, ignoring her.

"I took you from the morgue and brought you here. Your heart was beating, but you were unconscious. You've been here recovering ever since."

She stared at him without blinking for a few seconds then whispered, "How long have I been here?"

"Five years, two months, three days, and six hours," he answered blankly.

"Five years?" She whimpered at the revelation.

"Yes," he replied.

"He thinks I'm dead?" She asked, staring at the table.

"Everyone does," he answered.

Anna blinked her eyes rapidly and swallowed hard. His elaboration was a devastating blow, but she was suddenly angry.

"Why didn't you tell him I was alive? Why have you kept me here so long without telling him?" She barked.

"In the beginning I wasn't sure you would wake up. And when you did, you didn't know your name," his tone didn't change.

"Well I know who I am now, so take me home," she said angrily.

"I can't do that," he replied.

"Why not?!" She yelled at him.

"Do you really want to know?" He asked.


	8. Investigation

**Investigation**

Tamao was sitting in the kitchen staring at the wall when she heard a knock on the door. She quickly rose to answer it, hoping Yoh and Hana were outside. "Oh, hello," she called as she opened the door.

"Are you going to let me in?" Ren asked impatiently.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he noticed the embarrassment in her face as she motioned for him to enter, "Yoh and Hana went for a walk. I don't know when they'll be back."

"I came to talk to you," he replied sternly.

"What?" She seemed very uneasy from his statement, "what do you want to talk to me about?"

She followed him into the sitting room and watched as he began tapping his fingers against the table shortly after sitting down.

"Has Yoh mentioned anything about Anna?" Ren asked after several seconds of silence.

"Um, No, he hasn't. Why do you ask?"

"He hasn't mentioned her at all?" Tamao was confused by his deep concern for Yoh's conversation topics.

"No. Not since the day we talked. What's this about?"

"There's no easy way to say this…" he started.

Tamao watched as he tapped his fingers faster on the table and shifted his body weight back and forth.

"Ren, what's wrong?"

"Don't you think it's strange that Yoh would mention Anna being alive and then not mention it again for two weeks?" He sighed heavily, "As if he just forgot about it?"

"I don't know," she replied.

"I can't let it go. I won't let it go. There's only one thing to do," he said, staring at the table.

She waited for him to continue but he sat silently.

"What do we do?" She asked timidly.

* * *

Hana was fast asleep when Tamao checked his room. She stood over his bed and smiled for a few minutes then slowly made her way to Yoh's bedroom. He had gone straight to bed instead of staying with his son because he was very tired. She hesitated for a few moments when she reached his bedroom door, but calmed herself and sat at her usual spot on the floor. The waiting game had always been unbearable, but for some reason, his room was very quiet. _Maybe he fell asleep already,_ she thought to herself. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden movement of his door.

"Yoh!" She said nervously.

"What are you doing?" He asked weakly.

"Well," she started.

He smiled and interrupted her, "I'm okay, Tamao. Don't worry."

"Okay," she sighed, "Good night."

"Good night."

She waited until he began snoring to sneak downstairs, grab her jacket and tiptoe out of the front door.

The night air was colder than she anticipated, but she was too afraid to sneak back in to change clothes. Looking around nervously, she waited for someone to appear.

"What took you so long?" She jumped from the sound of his voice and turned to face him.

"I had to wait until he was asleep," she whispered.

"Well, come on," he said, walking quickly.

His pace was tiring for her, and she had to increase to a jog to keep up.

"Wait," she called suddenly. He stopped short and turned around.

"I don't know about this, Ren," she said timidly.

"This is the only way we'll know if she's alive. I'm sick of the suspense. I want to find out once and for all. If you're too afraid, then go back," he walked away and resumed his pace.

Biting her bottom lip nervously, she jogged to catch up with him.

"It's so cold out here," Manta said as he rubbed his hands together.

"Yeah, I didn't expect it to be like this," Horo replied.

"Well, it's good that we have our jackets," Ryu said blankly.

"Shut up and grab a shovel," Ren growled at them.

Tamao watched in horror as they began digging the dirt away around Anna's tombstone. She couldn't believe Ren had successfully talked her into what she was sure to be illegal.

"How far do we have to dig?" Manta asked breathlessly.

"Until we find the coffin," Ren said without looking at him.

Manta tried to dig, but he was moving at a much slower pace than the others and he had grown exhausted from the exertion. Ren noticed his decline in performance and sighed, "Go and sit with Tamao."

Horo and Ryu made random conversation about the weather while Ren was disappearing in the dirt from the hole he was digging. After noticing Ren's progress, they quickened their pace and continued in silence.

"What if it's empty?" Manta asked suddenly.

"I don't know," Tamao replied.

"When Ren told me about this, I thought he was crazy. But now," he sighed and paused.

"I hope it's empty."

Instead of responding she crossed her arms and bit her bottom lip.

"Hey, I just hit something!" Horo called. He was near Ren and had also disappeared in the dirt.

Ren and Ryu tossed their shovels and began scraping the bottom of the pit with their hands.

"This is it," Ryu said.

"Can you open it?" Ren asked nervously.

"Yeah, but you guys have to get out first."

Horo and Ren climbed out of the pit and waited as Ryu began prying the coffin open.

"Well, what's in there?" Horo called to him.

Tamao and Manta ran to the top of the pit to see what was happening. As Manta began chanting, "Please be empty, please be empty," Tamao watched Ren as he closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists.

Ryu was silent for several minutes until Ren yelled at him, "What are you doing?!"

"There's a body in here," he said sadly.


	9. Injury

**Injury**

"I can't believe it," he said quietly as he stared at the grass. The wind was moderate and had blown his purple hair into his face covering his sad expression. Tamao sat with him on the bench in the park without speaking. It had been two weeks since the cemetery caper, and he was still upset.

"I'm sorry, Ren," she said sadly.

"I'm such an idiot," he said, gritting his teeth.

"Why?" She asked.

"I knew she was dead. I KNEW it. But I let that imbecile of a Yoh give me hope," he muttered.

"Hope," she whispered.

They sat together on the bench and watched as the wind carried away nearby leaves on the grass. She glanced at him briefly and noticed his eyes began to fill with tears. Ren had never been very emotional before, and this new layer frightened her. She felt sorry for him because she knew he had held on to his grief just as long as Yoh did, even when the others had moved on with their lives.

"I'm sorry," she said, being unable to say anything comforting.

"Maybe it's time I move back home," he said suddenly.

"To China?" She whimpered.

"I've been here too long. It's time for me to move on," Ren replied weakly.

"I don't think you should leave. Yoh would miss you," she said.

"I don't think he would notice with you keeping his attention," he mumbled.

"That's not true," she said, slightly offended by his statement.

Ren wasn't intending for her to hear his thoughts, but he had spoken too loudly. Sighing heavily, he replied, "I won't make any rash decisions. It was just a thought."

They sat in silence for a few more moments until Ren abruptly walked away.

"See you later," she said sadly. 

* * *

Yoh sat on the floor in his bedroom staring at the wall for several minutes. He hadn't been violently shaken in the night from any nightmares, and hadn't needed the aid of his tears to fall asleep. All of his muscles were relaxed, and he was breathing normally.

He was serene.

He closed his eyes momentarily and opened them to find a woman standing in front of him.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Why are you here?" He asked calmly, recognizing her from their first encounter.

"I'm wondering why you aren't looking for me," she said sitting in front of him.

"I think you're dead, and that I was in denial about it," his answer noticeably caught her off guard.

"So you're just giving up?" She asked.

"No, but I owe it to my son to move on with our lives," he replied blankly.

Although he didn't see her move she was sitting closer to him.

"You owe it to him to find me," she said angrily.

"And what if I never do? It's not fair to give him false hope," he said sadly.

"This isn't false hope, Yoh. You know I'm alive. You can feel it," she whispered.

"My instincts have failed me before," he said, staring at the floor.

"You're not wrong about this, Yoh. They think you're crazy because they don't have the connection you have with me. You know I'm alive. Stop wasting time and find me," she said.

He sighed heavily when she disappeared.

* * *

Tamao had been in the park for an hour after Ren left her. She sat on the bench quietly, tapping her foot against the soft grass beneath her feet. Cupping her hands in her lap she sighed, "This is terrible."

"Not really."

She was startled because she wasn't sure how long he had been standing behind her.

"You don't believe that, do you?"

"Hao," she whispered.

He walked around to the front of the bench and sat beside her. Tamao had never been able to look at him; his gaze was intimidating. She fidgeted with her fingers and began staring at a nearby tree. He watched the branches from the trees sway slightly with the wind before he spoke.

"How is he?" He asked calmly.

"Fine. He's fine," she replied nervously.

"Good."

She grew more uncomfortable when he paused and began biting her bottom lip. Noticing her discomfort, he smiled.

"Why are you so nervous?" He asked.

"I'm not," she lied.

"You've been nervous all of your life," he said, "It's a very annoying character flaw. I've always hated that about you."

She sighed heavily. They had never been friends, but she was still offended by his observation. Just because it was true didn't mean he had to say it.

"What do you want, Tamao?" He asked.

Pausing momentarily she answered, "I want him to be happy."

"With you?"

"Just in general," she was noticeably bothered by his questions.

"But having him fall in love with you would be part of the fantasy, right?" He smiled at her, making her stomach cramp.

"He's already in love," she sighed, "that wouldn't happen."

"He's happy. You said it yourself. He's happy because of you," he said warmly.

She frowned and glanced at him briefly.

"Thank you for keeping him busy," he said, "Although I find you to be very weak and insufferable, you're probably perfect for Yoh."

She couldn't tell if this was a compliment or an insult, but she continued avoiding his eyes. He used her silence as an opportunity to continue his thought.

"He'll move on and so will Anna."

"I'm not keeping him busy. And I'm not weak," she replied, seemingly unaffected by his statement.

He ignored her and began walking away again.

"We'll talk another time," he called.


	10. Resentment

_**Thank you for the reviews thus far. I should mention now that the story from this point forward will develop very quickly. Bear with me. We're nearing the end. Oh, and to those of you who have submitted individual questions, I haven't responded because they will be answered in the story soon.**_

_**-Pulchrite**_

* * *

**Resentment**

Anna sat at the table quietly staring down at her food. Her hands rested in her lap, and she sighed heavily. Hao was sitting across from her and was shoveling rice into his mouth as if he were starving. He paused briefly to address her.

"Your food will be cold soon. You should eat," he said calmly.

"I'm not hungry," she sighed.

He placed his bowl on the table slowly and sighed, "Why not?"

"What did you mean when you said I didn't want to know?" She asked, glaring angrily at the table.

"That's not what I said," he replied blankly.

"I don't care about the exact details of the conversation! I want to finish it. I want to know why I can't go home. It should be a simple question to answer if you didn't kidnap me," she stared at him angrily.

"We've already talked about this," he sighed.

"Please don't give me the amnesia routine. We didn't finish the conversation, and you've been avoiding it for almost a month. Tell me the truth, Hao. Tell me why you're keeping me away from my family," she hit the table with her fist, causing the dinnerware to shift.

"I'm trying to protect you," he started.

"From what? Being happy?" She snarled.

"You need to understand something," he looked into her eyes as if attempting hypnosis, "Yoh thinks you're dead. And, you have been gone for a very long time. He will move on with his life. You can't just go back and everything will be the same way you left it."

"Are you telling me I can't go home because Yoh has moved on?" She folded her arms across her chest in disgust.

"Yes," he said calmly.

"I don't believe you. Yoh wouldn't move on. He would look for me. He would mourn. I'm his wife; I can't be replaced," she said, gritting her teeth.

"You don't have to believe me," he said, standing suddenly, "I can show you."

* * *

Ren had been sitting on the floor against the wall in his small apartment in silence. The television was disconnected from the wall, and his phone was lying upside down on the floor from being wrenched out of the wall socket. He stared at the opposite wall angrily and began gritting his teeth. Lifting his right hand to examine the bandages wrapped tightly around it, he sighed.

"Ren, let us in," Horo called from outside.

He closed his eyes, stood hesitantly, and walked slowly to the front door. Only opening it partially, he could see Horo's frown with Ryu standing behind him and Manta on his toes attempting to see.

"Can we come in please?" Ryu asked politely.

"Whatever," Ren mumbled as he walked away from the door to sit on the floor.

The three walked in slowly, noticing the scattered debris from Ren's rampage.

"He really needs to work out his anger issues," Manta whispered.

"So, uh, how are you doing?" Horo asked as they sat down in a circle in front of him.

"Fine," Ren said blankly.

Ryu stared around them a few times before he spoke, "Are you sure?"

"And I guess you just like wrapping your hand in bandages for the fun of it?" Horo asked.

"That was an accident," Ren's tone didn't change.

"What happened?" Manta asked worriedly.

"I punched a hole into the wall."

Manta stared at him with his mouth gaped open and didn't know what else to say. The three of them sat in silence, staring at Ren worriedly. Although his head was down and he was staring at the floor, he could feel their eyes.

"Stop looking at me," he said abruptly.

"Ren, you have to stop this," Horo said finally.

"This is out of control," Ryu said under his breath.

"How was that an accident?" Manta whispered.

"I told you I'm fine," Ren said, lifting his head to look at him. His eyes were fatigued as if they were bleeding.

"Is it broken?" Manta whispered.

"We haven't seen you in a few days," Horo started, "I just don't want you to go back to the way you were when Anna died," he hesitated for a few moments, regretting bringing up the episode.

"I'm over it," he said blankly.

"Are you sure? Because your apartment looks pretty bad," Ryu started.

"She's dead, right? So that's the end of it."

"But we all have to move on, Ren. I mean in a healthy way," Manta said.

"Sure, I get it," he replied angrily, "We should all move on. Let's just forget about her then. That would make perfect sense! You three can forget about her," he pointed at them, "Yoh already has. I'll just have to catch up!"

"Yoh hasn't forgotten about her," Manta said softly.

"What was he thinking?" Ren stared at the floor again angrily.

"What?" Horo stared at him with a confused frown.

"I don't know why she moved there in the first place. I said it was a bad idea. I SAID IT. But no one listens to me," he wasn't talking to them but spoke loud enough for them to hear.

"Are you talking about Tamao?" Ryu asked.

"How could he just move on? He didn't deserve her," he continued his rant as if he were alone.

"Ren," Horo tried to interrupt him but he continued.

"It was his fault. He stood there like a fool and watched her die! And now she's…" his voice began to break suddenly from his anger, "She couldn't wait to move in. Anna hadn't been buried for two weeks and she moved in!"

"That's not fair," Horo protested.

"They disgust me," he groaned, ignoring him, "They deserve each other. She didn't have to die. I would have helped her. I would have protected her. I would have kept her safe…"

"She wasn't your wife, Ren," Manta said softly.

"**SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN!!**" He yelled at them suddenly and paused.

"Ren," Ryu looked away from him sadly.

"I knew it. Unbelievable," Horo said under his breath.

"Ren, I know you're upset, but it wasn't anyone's fault," Manta said. He paused when he saw Ren's eyes fill quickly with tears.

"I should have saved her. Why couldn't I save her?" He said weakly.

"There was nothing you could have done," Ryu said moving to sit next to him, "there was nothing any of us could have done."

"You have to let it go, Ren," Horo added.

He looked around the room briefly to find something he could break, but there was nothing within reach. His breathing grew more rapid, and he began punching the floor with his fists. Each time the injured hand made contact with the floor he grimaced, but he continued to punch harder and harder until his blood began soaking through the bandages.

"Please calm down," Manta whispered.

"Ren, stop that," Ryu sighed.

"She's dead?" Ren whimpered as if he had fallen into a trance.

"She's dead, Ren," Horo said sadly.


	11. Compunction

**Compunction**

Lightning lit the sky as the thunder bellowed violently through the night air. The wind picked up its pace and blew the leaves and small sticks over the grass. Although the stage had been set for a storm, there was no moisture from the sky.

"It's cold out here," she said, clutching her black cloak tightly to her chest. Her hair had been lured by the whipping air, and the strands took on the form of blond sticks slapping her in the face. Annoyed by the obstruction of her view, she exhaled deeply and tried to push them behind her ears with one of her hands.

"Do you remember this house?" He asked calmly. They were standing outside in front of a large paneled window.

"Of course I do, Hao. This is my house," she answered.

"Don't say anything. Just watch," he said.

"Why can't we just go inside? Is this necessary?" She asked, rubbing her hands together and shivering.

"I brought you here for one reason, and we're not going inside," he replied.

The room was empty but well lit. She stared at the walls and the floors and sighed. Why did he bring her here? He wouldn't let her leave and now she was sure he was teasing her. The situation didn't seem fair.

"So what do we do now?" Her question was interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps.

"Do you hear that?" She asked.

Hao was silent and didn't look at her.

Suddenly, a boy ran into the room laughing playfully.

"Hana?" She whispered. He had grown much taller than she remembered and his hair was beautiful and thick like his father's. And she could almost swear his eyes sparkled.

Seconds later his father ran into the room with an airplane apparently made out of paper and was chasing him. He had the boy cornered, but allowed him to slip away so that he could continue the chase. His brown hair was untamed and fell all over his face, neck and shoulders as he ran.

"Yoh!" She was ecstatic to see the two interact and wanted to be inside with them. When she stepped forward, however, Hao reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Watch," he said again.

After a few minutes of chasing, Hana had managed to steal his father's airplane and took off with it. Yoh was now chasing him to get it back. Anna didn't notice at first, but Tamao was standing at the back of the room smiling at them.

"What is she doing here so late? And in pajamas?" She whispered, staring briefly at Hao.

"I told you she lives here," he sighed.

"What?" She seemed surprised by his answer and watched as Tamao avoided being trampled by Hana and Yoh. The two stopped abruptly and stared at her, giggling and whispering. She noticed what they were doing and attempted to run away when Yoh grabbed her arm and began dragging her to the floor. Hana laughed as she tried to wrestle her way out of his grasp.

"What are they doing?" Anna grew increasingly angry from the game. She closed her eyes when they began tickling her mercilessly.

"Why did you bring me here?" She fumed.

Hao continued to watch them in silence.

Hana suddenly ran out of the room as if looking for a weapon while Yoh continued to tickle Tamao's ribcage. She was laughing, but was obviously uncomfortable. He finally sat on the floor beside her and held her hand.

"Why is he touching her?" Anna growled.

A few drops of rain fell onto their heads.

The two began talking, but Anna couldn't make out what they were saying. Yoh hugged her suddenly, and she smiled. Their embrace induced an overwhelming fog of nausea as she watched them.

"We should leave," Hao said finally, "The rain is here."

She wasn't listening to him. Instead she opened her eyes wide and gasped as she saw her husband's face move dangerously close to the face of that woman with the pink hair.

"Wha…" she tried to speak but was suddenly unable to breathe. Hao reached for her as she was falling.

"We can leave," he said.

"No," she tried to pry his arms away from her, but had no strength left. He released his grip slightly and watched as tears began to fill her eyes, "What is he doing?"

The raindrops grew larger and they were beginning to soak through their clothes.

"Let's leave," Hao said again without restraining her.

"You brought me here because…" she started.

"It's raining," he interrupted her.

"You wanted me to see them," she gasped, walking away from the house slowly.

"Let's get back," he said, ignoring her cries.

"He's moved on?" She whispered.

"Yes," he answered.

"Tamao?" She gagged when she said her name.

"Yes," he replied again. The rain was steady now, and she was walking too slowly. He picked her up and carried her in his arms the rest of the way without resistance.

"How could he do this to me?" She was completely broken at this point and was crying uncontrollably.

"Everything will be fine, Anna," Hao whispered in her ear, "I'll take care of you."

* * *

The violence of the thunderstorm had passed but it was still raining. The sound of the water rolling down the sides of the house was soothing to Hana, and he had fallen asleep within minutes of leaving Tamao and his father in the sitting room. The two sat on the floor yawning and stretching.

"It's probably late, Yoh. We should go to bed," Tamao said as she stood on her feet.

"Yeah," Yoh replied, following her up the staircase.

They slowly made their way down the hallway and arrived at Yoh's bedroom door. Hesitating for a moment, she turned to tell him goodnight but said something else instead.

"Would you like some company?" _I can't believe I just said that,_ she thought to herself.

"Yes, that would be great," he responded very quickly, adding to her embarrassment.

They entered the room slowly and silently, carefully making their way through the dark room. Tamao ran into the bed first and fell over, mumbling into the blanket.

"Are you okay?" Yoh asked from somewhere in the room.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said, feeling her way to the pillows.

"There aren't any lamps in here," he said apologetically.

"I know," she replied.

She felt the mattress shift when he finally lied next to her. They both stared at the ceiling in silence, as if waiting for something to happen.

"Thanks for tonight," Yoh said finally.

"What do you mean?" Tamao replied.

"I mean, playing with us. Hana enjoyed it," he smiled although she couldn't see him.

"I had a good time. It was fun."

"Yeah, I guess it was."

The silence interrupted their conversation again. Yoh closed his eyes and listened as the rain fell steadily against the roof and down the walls. He wanted to say something to her but was at a loss for words, "Um," he started.

"Yes?" She responded quickly as if anticipating his next statement.

"I don't know. I'm very grateful to you. I think I would be lost without you here," he said softly.

"You don't give yourself enough credit," she said warmly, "You're a good father to Hana and…"

"What is it?" He noticed she stopped abruptly.

"Oh nothing. I'm just happy that you're happy. You're happy aren't you?"

"I'm happy."

Tamao began blinking her eyes and noticed they had become adjusted to the darkness. She glanced over and was pleased to see his face. Quickly, and without thinking, she moved closer to him and rested her head on his chest. The movement startled her, but she was too embarrassed to move.

He didn't seem bothered by her position, and the discovery made her nervous. After a few moments he rested his arm around her shoulders and exhaled. She felt more relaxed since he didn't reject her and rested her arm around his waist. She couldn't remember ever being this close to him voluntarily, and her body was filled with fear and excitement. Struggling to keep from drifting into her personal fantasy land, she was suddenly interrupted by the touch of his fingers.

He was running them through her hair.

There was something about this subtle movement that aroused her. _Am I dreaming? I don't think I'm dreaming…I…I can't tell._ The thoughts filled her mind incessantly until she tried pinching herself.

"Ouch," he said softly.

"I'm sorry," she said, feeling more embarrassed. She had pinched him in the side.

He didn't respond but used his other arm to embrace her. His body felt too warm against her arm and she could feel his lips near her forehead. He hadn't said anything but his body made her tense. Hesitating for a moment she slowly lifted her head and looked at his face. He noticed she moved and looked down at her, not noticing the brief brush their lips made.

"What's wrong?" He asked sleepily.

"Nothing," she said smiling at him. She rolled over until her back was facing him and said, "Good night."

"Good night," He turned and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her neck.

_This is probably inappropriate. I should go to my room._ Random thoughts filled her head again, keeping her awake. _He's so warm. Wait, no. I need to leave. You should leave, Tamao. Leave._ For the first time ever, she wasn't listening to her own conscience. She wanted to stay. He was so warm. Finally, reality was beginning to coincide with her fantasies. He kissed her gently on the neck. Was he asleep? She couldn't tell. _I want to stay in his arms forever. Wait, what? What are you doing? Get up!!_ It was useless. Her thoughts were drowned out by the sound of his breathing.

She was completely smitten. Was this really happening? He held her tighter and she moaned softly. After a few minutes of the silent, tepid embrace, he leaned forward and gently whispered into her ear.

"I love you, Anna."


	12. Vacillation

**Vacillation**

She sat on the floor in the middle of the hallway staring at the floor. Her crimson face had been saturated with tears in the hours before, and she had been silent since nearly collapsing in the woods. Although her body was still, her hands were still shaking from shock and anger.

Hao had watched her for several minutes and decided to speak.

"You wouldn't have believed me without seeing it for yourself."

"He's moved on," she whispered.

"It's better for you to know now. You can focus on your recovery," he said calmly.

"I can't go home," she whispered, staring at the wall.

"No you can't," he said.

She stood gingerly and walked slowly in front of him as if wanting a hug.

"Anna," he couldn't finish his sentence because she slapped him hard across his face.

"You are evil," she said angrily.

The blow stung him but he appeared unaffected, "What did you say?"

"You took me there so I could watch my husband with another woman. How sick are you?" Her voice was elevated and she attempted to slap him again.

He grabbed her arm swiftly, stopping her attack and groaned, "Are you serious?" He asked.

"You weren't trying to protect me. You were never trying to protect me. You just wanted me away from Yoh. You wanted him to think I was dead, why else would you keep me here so long? I hate you!" She had wrestled free from his loose grasp and began hitting him hard in his chest, forcing him to restrain her.

"You're beginning to irritate me," he said slowly.

He released her and she began pacing in front of him.

"You have RUINED my life. Forgive me if I don't care about you being irritated," she spat.

"I ruined your life?" He was irritated but his voice remained somewhat blank, "I wouldn't call it that."

"If you hadn't interfered with my life, my husband wouldn't be," she paused and gagged, "With Tamao."

"If I hadn't interfered, Anna, you'd be dead," he had become angry, and it was evident in his voice, "And besides, no one told Yoh to move on with Tamao. If he loves you as much as you think he does, wouldn't he be looking for you? Maybe you should think about that."

She wanted to fire back, but couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I'm not your enemy. If you don't realize that by now, I guess you never will. If you want to be mad at someone, start with Yoh," he said, "And maybe next time, I'll just leave you to die and save some energy."

"I'm sorry," she sighed.

"Excuse me?"

"You're right," she crossed her arms lightly and sat on the floor again, "You saved my life and I should be grateful."

He stared at her in silence as if waiting for her to snap.

"I need to ask you a question and I want you answer me honestly," she said calmly.

"Yes?" He sat in front of her and sighed.

"Why didn't you tell anyone I was alive?" She asked.

"I told you this already," he said impatiently.

"No, you didn't. We talked about it, but you never gave me an answer. You've kept me here for five years without telling anyone I was alive. My family still thinks I'm dead. I think that's...odd."

Hao didn't respond but stared at her intently.

"I know you didn't want me to marry him. Was this your way of getting revenge?"

"You don't know what you're talking about, Anna," he said finally.

"I don't know what else it could be. You were so eager for me to learn about Tamao. You won't let me leave the house. My husband and son think I'm dead. And you won't give me a straight answer," her head was beginning to throb and she began rubbing her temples with her hands.

"I'm not in love with you," he growled.

"That's not what I asked."

"This is the first time you actually remember something about your life. Do you know how long I've had to tell you your name?"

She sighed heavily but he continued.

"I'm serious. You were not well enough to leave. I couldn't trust you to be outside. You were clumsy and weak..."

"I don't believe that, Hao," she said, interrupting him, "Five years is a long time."

"What do you want me to say? I'm telling you the truth and you won't accept it," he said angrily.

"Was this about me recovering, or was it about Yoh?" She asked calmly.

"I liked you better when you couldn't remember anything," he mumbled.

"You didn't have to save me. You could have left me to die. But you brought me here and took care of me. Why?"

"Because as much as you would like me to be, I'm not a monster," he said calmly.

* * *

"I love you, Anna."

She sighed and sat upright, pulling away from his arms. Hesitating for a few moments, she attempted to leave.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Yoh sat next to her and grabbed her arm.

"I'm going to go to my room, Yoh," she said sadly.

"What's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

_He didn't even notice._

"Nothing's wrong. I just want to go to my room," she said without looking at him.

He held her arm tightly and pulled her closer to keep her from leaving the bed.

"Tell me what's wrong," he whispered.

"It's nothing. I shouldn't be here," she mumbled.

"But I want you here," he said softly.

"Why?" She blurted suddenly.

"What?" He asked with a frown.

"Why do you want me here, Yoh?" She asked angrily, "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to..." he hesitated, "I just want..."

"I can't do this anymore," she said as tears filled her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said, "Please don't cry."

They sat without speaking for several minutes. Tamao sniffed incessantly and stared at her hands. Yoh bit his bottom lip and started, "Tamao?"

"What is it?" She whimpered.

"I want to move on with my life. I need to move on. It's not fair to Hana...not fair to you," he paused and sighed, "But I can't help it."

"I don't expect you to forget about her," she replied softly, "You loved her. That never goes away."

"I'm trying," he said as he held her hand, "I'm really trying."

"You don't have to do anything for me," she said calmly.

"I don't want to lead you on. I don't want you to think..." he hesitated.

"It's okay. You don't have to explain," she said.

"Please be patient with me," he said sadly.

She suddenly felt guilty for being angry with him and sighed.

"I'll help you, Yoh. I'll be here as long as you need me."

He sat silently for a few moments and his eyes filled quickly with tears.

"Yoh?" She called softly.

"I don't know what to do," he whispered fearfully.

"You don't have to do anything," she replied.

"I miss her. I miss her so much," he began crying uncontrollably and fell into her arms.

"Everything will be okay, Yoh," she said as she allowed her tears to flow freely down her cheeks.

"I don't know how to make it go away," he said.

"I'll help you," she said, "I'll help you through this."

They held each other quietly until he was able to partially regain his composure. She gently kissed him on the forehead and smiled at him. He held her tighter and kissed her lips. The contact was gentle at first but quickly escalated into an extended, passionate exchange.

He paused slightly and whispered, "Please stay."

"I'll stay," she whispered.

* * *

**_This is wrapping up. I promise._**

_**-Pulchrite**_


	13. Ferocity

_**There was a chapter between Vacillation and Ferocity that I omitted, but I didn't feel the decision affected the flow of the overall story. If you do find yourself confused by this chapter, however, you can send me a PM and I'll give you a brief summary of the deleted one.**_

**_-Pulchrite_**

* * *

**Ferocity**

Ren had been walking for what felt like miles in the woods. The trees blew calmly in the wind as he passed them, and the leaves tickled his legs as they scurried down the dirt path. He kept his hands deep in the pockets of his khaki pants and ignored the incessant flapping of his black shirt collar as he walked. He grew slightly irritated by the dirt that was blowing on the surface of his black boots, but he didn't stop to brush them off. When he reached a clearing, he removed his hands from their resting place and pushed the annoying strands of hair that were in his face away from his view. As he made his way to the bench he noticed something he did not expect.

"An angel?" He whispered.

She was sitting on the bench quietly with her back facing him. Her beautiful blond hair blew effortlessly in the wind and her entire body appeared to be glowing. Ren was so intrigued by the discovery he walked closer until he was in front of the bench. When he reached her, he noticed she wasn't an angel at all. In fact, she didn't have wings, as he supposed angels should, and her body didn't glow up close. Despite this discovery, he was still in shock.

"Anna?" He whimpered.

She smiled at him and said, "Ren! Hi!"

He stood in front of her for a few seconds unable to move, "Am I dreaming?"

"No," she giggled, "Sit with me."

He sat hesitantly and stared at her without speaking.

"I know this is a shock, Ren. It's good to see you again," she started.

"Anna?" He whimpered again.

"I was away for a while," she continued, ignoring him, "Because I was ill, but everything is better now."

"I dug up your grave," he said randomly.

"What?"

"Three months ago. I dug up your grave," he said as he continued staring at her.

"I think that's illegal," she said smiling at him.

"You're alive?" He asked as if he were trying to convince himself.

"Yes," she said as she held his hand.

"I can't believe it," he said calmly. After allowing himself to breathe, he was ready to have a real conversation with her, "I missed you."

"I missed you too. All of you," she said.

"Where have you been?" He asked impatiently.

"I was sick," she replied. He waited for her to elaborate but was disappointed when she paused.

"You're back," he said after watching her hesitation, "I can't believe you're back from the dead," As much as he wanted to know how it happened, he didn't really care about the details. He knew she was alive and that he was sitting next to her.

"Ren, I need to tell you something," she said.

"What is it?" He asked, squeezing her hand.

"Yoh doesn't know I'm alive, and I don't intend to tell him."

"What?" He stammered.

"He's happy. I don't want to complicate his life at this point," she said.

"You're his wife," he interrupted but she continued.

"As much as it hurts to see him with someone else, I want him to be happy. Besides, I promised Tamao I wouldn't interfere."

"Tamao?" He whispered.

"She's been good to them. I don't want to be a burden," she said calmly.

"You've talked to Tamao?" He asked, ignoring her statement.

"Yes."

"Recently?"

"Yes."

Ren paused momentarily and began gritting his teeth, "Tell me everything," he said.

* * *

Tamao was in the sitting room vacuuming the floor when she heard the vigorous beating at the front door. She walked quickly to answer it and was almost run over when he stormed into the house. She followed him into the sitting room and watched as he began pacing back and forth angrily.

"Ren what's wrong?" She asked worriedly.

He stopped abruptly and stood in front of her. His gaze intimidated her and she swallowed hard.

"You've really out done yourself this time," he said angrily.

"What?" She whispered, almost choking on her saliva.

"If you were a man I would knock all of your teeth out," he seethed.

"What are you talking about?" She asked fearfully.

"You let me dig up her grave! You made me look like a fool!" He was screaming at her now.

"Ren, you have the wrong idea," she started.

"Oh, so now you know what I'm talking about? You're not playing stupid anymore?" His face had become bright red from his anger.

"What's going on?" Yoh asked as he entered the room, "Ren, what's wrong?"

"I can't believe I doubted myself. I can't believe I didn't see it," he growled, ignoring Yoh's presence.

"Ren, you're wrong about this," Tamao said, sparking his rage even more.

"You are an evil, manipulative, whore."

"That's enough," Yoh said, interrupting him, "Don't talk to her like that."

"Ren, please don't do this," she said softly.

"Don't do what, Tamao? What are you talking about?" Ren yelled at her, "You don't want me to tell you what I think of you? You don't want me to say how much you disgust me? I saw her!! She held my hand! We had a conversation! And you failed to even mention she was alive?" Ren was so angry he wanted to snap her neck.

"What are you talking about, Ren?" Yoh asked with a confused frown.

"She's alive, Yoh," he said quickly.

"Anna?" His knees buckled slightly as he spoke.

"Tell him, Tamao. Tell him she's alive. And tell him how long you've known about it!" Ren didn't seem to notice Yoh's shock.

Tamao stood in silence quivering.

"She's alive?" Yoh whispered.

"Yes, Yoh," Ren said impatiently, "And she knew about it," and pointed at Tamao angrily.

"What?" Yoh was floored. He stared at Tamao but she was staring at Ren.

"Ren, please," she said nervously.

"She's known for two years," Ren spat.

The three of them stood in silence for several seconds. Tamao stared at Yoh fearfully as he searched the floor. He began breathing rapidly and his hands began shaking uncontrollably. Ren clenched his teeth and tapped his foot angrily on the floor. He couldn't stand not being able to punch her in the face, so he stormed angrily out of the room.

"You both make me sick," he mumbled on his way out.

Yoh didn't notice his exit and continued staring at the floor.

"Yoh?" Tamao called softly as she tried holding back her tears.

"She's alive?" He whispered.

"Yoh, it's not what you think," she started.

"You knew?" He said finally, feeling the rage rush violently to his brain.

"I can explain this," she hesitated.

"You knew?" He asked again angrily.

She didn't answer him.

Random thoughts raced into his mind like some strange malfunction. Thoughts of his son crying in a hospital room surfaced. Then the excessive nights of crying himself to sleep came into view. Memories of Tamao cooking and cleaning, helping Hana with his homework, sleeping in his bed...

He suddenly felt nauseated.

"I was trying to protect Hana. I was trying to protect you," he heard her say.

"I wanted to move on," he said weakly, "You were going to let me move on?"

He fell to his knees.

"Yoh!" She ran to his side to help him up, but he jerked away from her grasp.

"Don't touch me," he said angrily.

"Yoh," she whimpered.

"You betrayed me," he whispered slowly, finding himself unable to look at her.

"No, I didn't," she said nervously, "This is a complicated situation. Let me explain,"

"You lied to me," he whispered again as his hands trembled violently.

"I'm sorry, Yoh! I wanted to..."

"Get out," he interrupted her sternly while staring at the floor.

"What?" She seemed shocked by this command.

"Get out of my house," he said again.

"Yoh, you don't mean that," she cried, "I can't leave."

"If you leave anything here, I'll burn it," he said coldly. The nausea made him dizzy and he braced himself on the floor with the palms of his hands.

"Yoh please don't..." she tried to plead her case but was stifled by her tears.

"GET OUT!!" He screamed at her with the last bit of strength he had left.

She ran out of the room crying hysterically and disappeared down the hallway. Yoh rested his forearms on the floor, burying his head between them and began crying loudly. After a few minutes he ran to the bathroom to vomit.


	14. Ignominy

**Ignominy**

_She sat at the table anxiously and bit her bottom lip. Her pink hair began to tickle the nape of her neck slightly, further adding to her discomfort. As much as she tried, she found herself unable to match the unwavering gaze from across the table._

"_Are you okay, Tamao?"_

"_Yes. I'm just...nervous," she replied._

"_Why?"_

"_I don't know. I don't know what to say to you."_

"_May I ask you a question then?"_

"_Sure, Anna. Anything," she said as the pangs in her stomach increased._

"_Does he ever talk about me?" She asked softly._

"_Yes."_

"_And Hana?"_

"_Sometimes."_

"_I'm not mad at you, Tamao," she said suddenly._

_She glanced at her briefly then stared at the table. Anna's eyes were too piercing for her to handle._

"_This is very hard for me. You understand that, don't you?" She asked weakly, pushing a few blond strands away from her face._

"_I understand," Tamao replied slowly._

"_So he loves you?" Her question was visibly difficult to utter._

"_Yes. He told me he does," she replied._

"_I can't blame him for moving on with his life. I guess," she paused and sighed, "I couldn't expect him to stay alone," she quickly covered her mouth and nose with her hand as the tears quickly filled her eyes._

"_Anna," she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words._

"_You make him happy, and he loves you. That's all I can ask for, right?" She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and exhaled._

"_Right," Tamao said weakly. She suddenly felt as if she were suffocating._

"_Thank you, Tamao," she said._

"_For what?"_

"_For being there for them when I couldn't. It's not what I imagined, but I could never blame you for loving them. I promise you, I won't interfere," she quickly stood and walked away once she was no longer able to keep her tears at bay._

_She sat alone at the table for a few seconds staring at the wall until she caught a glimpse of Hao standing in the hallway with Anna in his arms. The sound of her hysterical crying was unbearable for her now, and she hastily made her way to the front door._

"Excuse me, Ms Tanemura," she was visibly startled by the voice and stood abruptly.

"Yes?"

"Your room is ready," the man had been standing in front of her for several seconds, but she hadn't noticed his presence, "I can take your bags for you."

"No thanks," she said, smiling weakly.

* * *

Yoh had been sitting at the table all morning in silence. His eyes were puffy and fatigued, as if he hadn't slept in weeks. His son stared at him worriedly, but felt too afraid to say anything. When he felt Hana's gaze he said softly, "Eat your breakfast."

"Where's Tamao?" Hana asked timidly.

"She had to leave," he said quickly without looking at him.

"Where did she go?"

When his father didn't respond he swallowed hard, "Will she be back soon?"

"Finish your breakfast, Hana. I don't want you to be late for school," he answered, ignoring his question.

"Yes, sir," he was very uncomfortable with Yoh's tone, but was too afraid to ask any more questions.

"I'll be back in a few minutes to walk you there," he said as he began walking away from the table.

"But Tamao walks me to school," he mumbled when he realized his father had ignored him and continued down the hall.

Yoh quickened his pace as he reached his bedroom and quickly closed the door behind him. After pacing back and forth in front of his bed, he fell to the floor on his hands and knees as if nauseated. Sighing heavily, he closed his eyes momentarily.

"What are you doing?" She was sitting in front of him with her legs crossed when he opened his eyes.

"Not now," he said weakly.

"So you know for sure now. Your instincts were correct," she said.

"Please, not now," he sighed again.

"You should be looking for me. What are you waiting for?" She said impatiently.

He sat on the floor and stared at the wall behind her with a frown.

"You're still angry with her?" She asked calmly.

"I'm not mad at her," he said weakly.

"Why not? You should be," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

He didn't respond and closed his eyes.

"You're mad at yourself," she said.

"I've made so many mistakes," he started.

"Everyone makes mistakes," he was slightly disturbed by her tone when he looked at her again because she hadn't blinked since she appeared, "Some of your mistakes were stupid. There's nothing you can do about them now."

"I went too far," he paused and sighed, staring at the wall again, "I don't know how to make this right."

"You can make everything right, Yoh," she said calmly, "But you have to get off of the floor first."

"I feel like such an idiot," he groaned.

"Stop talking to yourself and find me," she said sternly.

The statement caught him off guard and he finally noticed he was alone in the room. He scratched his head and stared at the floor.


	15. Restitution

**Restitution**

Ren was still in his black pants and white t-shirt that he slept in the night before. He hadn't felt the need to groom himself, so the wild strands of his hair covered most of his face, ears and neck. He sat on the floor in front of the television that was still unplugged with his eyes closed. He was instantly annoyed when he heard the knocking at his front door.

"Ren, are you in there?" He recognized Yoh's voice and groaned.

"Let me in," he called again.

When he opened the door, Yoh paused and stared at him for a few minutes.

"What?" Ren barked.

"It's eleven o'clock," Yoh replied, staring at his hair.

"What do you want?" He asked angrily.

Although Ren didn't invite him in, he walked inside without responding. Ren groaned and closed the front door behind them.

"I said what do you want?" He asked again.

"You said you talked to Anna?" Yoh asked.

Ren studied his body language for a few seconds and could sense his desperation, "I did."

"Where is she? I need you to tell me where she is," he spoke very quickly and anxiously.

"Why don't you ask your girlfriend?" He asked sarcastically.

"She's not my girlfriend, Ren," Yoh sighed.

"You could have fooled me," he said angrily.

"Just tell me where she is," Yoh said walking away from him a few steps, "I need to find her."

"I don't know where she is," he said blankly.

"Are you lying to me?" Yoh's tone elevated as he turned around to look at him.

"I don't know where she is, Yoh. And honestly, if I did I wouldn't tell you," Ren clenched his teeth slightly as he spoke.

"But you talked to her," he started.

"She didn't tell me where she'd been, and didn't tell me where she is now."

"You didn't ask her?" Yoh frowned.

"I wasn't aware that I was supposed to be your detective," he said coldly.

"What's your problem?" Yoh asked angrily. He was almost yelling.

"I don't have the problem," Ren crossed his arms and took a step forward.

Yoh hadn't felt this angry for a very long time and wasn't sure how to cope with it. He balled his hands into fists and began pacing back and forth in front of him.

"I need to find her," he said finally, "Just tell me what you know."

"Are you deaf?" Ren asked angrily.

"Do you have something you need to say to me, Ren?" Yoh yelled at him suddenly.

"Do you mean besides 'Get the hell out of my house?' No, not really," he spat.

"I know what this is about," Yoh groaned.

"Okay, so get out," Ren said calmly.

"You're still mad at me?" Yoh sighed impatiently.

"You don't care about what I think, Yoh," Ren said.

"You're right, I don't."

Ren seemed surprised by his statement but he continued, "I know how you feel about Anna. She told me before we got married. You still resent me for marrying her, right?"

"I resent you for many things, Yoh," he said bitterly, "But mainly for your stupidity."

"You've blamed me for everything that has ever gone wrong since. I've even heard you say that I don't deserve her. But none of this matters. Do you want to know why?" Yoh stood in front of him and stared into his eyes angrily as if burning them.

"Back up," Ren growled.

"Because I'm her husband," he continued.

"Get out of my face, Yoh," his entire body tensed and he clenched his teeth angrily.

Ignoring him, Yoh continued, "I should have told you this a long time ago, Ren. I don't have to explain myself to you or anyone else. I don't have to prove myself to you. I don't care how you feel about me. In fact, I don't care how you feel about anything at this point because I'm her husband. I'm the man she chose to marry," his tone elevated slightly, "I love her and she loves me. That will never change. And that's the end of it."

Ren didn't say anything, but he could tell he was resisting the urge to punch him.

"You need to get over it," he walked to the front door, brushing him hard against the shoulder, "I'm going to find her with or without your help."

"Bastard," Ren mumbled.

* * *

"Where were you yesterday?" Hao asked suddenly.

"What?" She looked at him blankly.

"You heard me," he sighed.

"At the park," she said rolling her eyes.

"I told you not to leave the house," he said blankly.

"I needed some fresh air. It's too cramped in here," she replied.

"There are plenty of windows, Anna. Besides, if you don't want Yoh to know you're alive the park is a stupid place to go," he said angrily.

"There was no one there anyway. It was nice and quiet," she said calmly.

"Liar," he groaned.

"What?"

"Who saw you?" He asked, sighing heavily.

After hesitating for a few moments she replied, "Ren."

He stared angrily at her for a few moments then rolled his eyes.

"I asked him not to tell Yoh," she said quickly.

"Well, I'm sure he won't since they never talk," he said sarcastically.

"I'm serious," she groaned.

"So am I. Is this your way of interfering indirectly?" He asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Hao," she replied.

"I think you do. If you didn't want to give him up you should have just said it."

His statement shocked her and she stared at him in silence.

"I didn't force you to be a martyr. You drew your own conclusions about Tamao and Yoh and made this decision. If you didn't want her to be with him you shouldn't have told her it was okay," he sounded very irritated as he spoke.

"And if I had been unwilling to accept it, you would have just let me leave?" She asked sarcastically.

"Yes," he said blankly.

"What?" She was completely floored by his answer, "You haven't let me leave the house! You said I couldn't go home. And now you're saying that the decision was up to me all along?"

"The only reason I was keeping you here was so that you could recover. There was a great possibility you would wake up the next day and I would have to start over putting your memories back into place," he frowned.

"I don't believe you, Hao. I don't believe this. You said..."

"I've told you before; I didn't kidnap you, and I'm not a monster," he interrupted her, "If you want to be with that idiot, I can't stop you."

"It doesn't matter now," she said sadly, "I've already made my decision and I have to live with it."

"Do you honestly think Ren hasn't told anyone about you?" He asked.

She hesitated and clasped her hands together, but before she could speak their conversation was interrupted by incessant knocking at the front door.

"Don't move," he said angrily as he stood from the table and disappeared down the hallway.

"What am I doing?" She sighed.

Hao opened the door slowly and exhaled heavily when he saw Tamao standing in front of him, "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Can I come in please?" She asked nervously. He noticed the bags she was carrying and moaned.

"What did you do?" He asked coldly.

"Please let me in," she said breathlessly.

"And you're carrying bags with you," his tone didn't change.

"I..." she hesitated, "I need to talk to Anna. Please let me in."

"So he kicked you out," he said coldly.

"Please," she sighed.

"You're not staying here," he added.

"Please let me talk to her," she said, blinking rapidly to hide her tears.

"I can't say I'm surprised, Tamao," he said as he walked away from the door way.

She began dragging her bags into the house with great effort and paused to catch her breath when she saw Anna standing in the hallway.

"You're not going to help her with those?" Anna asked as she watched Hao walk toward her.

"No," he said blankly.

"Hao," she sighed.

"She should have left them outside. After all, she'll have to take them with her when she leaves," he said as he passed her.

"I...don't have anywhere else to go," Tamao said softly, "I could only afford to stay at the hotel for one night."

"Hotel?" Anna was surprised by Tamao's statement but ignored it, "You can stay here."

"I said she's not staying here," Hao said angrily as he made his way back into the hallway.

"I'm sorry," Tamao paused suddenly and buried her face in her hands.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked as she stood in front of her and held her shoulders. When Tamao began to cry hysterically, she hugged her and glanced at Hao briefly.

"Pathetic," he mumbled as he leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest.

Tamao sat on the floor and sighed heavily while Anna closed the front door. She sat down beside her and held her hand.

"What happened?" Anna asked softly.

"You have to go home, Anna," Tamao blurted.

"Tamao, I already told you..." she started.

"Please!! I'm sorry!! I'm so sorry, Anna!" She was unable to control her tears and her body shook violently.

"Seriously?" He groaned.

"You don't have to apologize to me," Anna said sadly.

"I have to fix this," she whispered suddenly.

"What?" Anna frowned at her.

"Anna, he doesn't love me," she said weakly, "I lied to you."

She dropped Tamao's hand and stared at her in silence. Her expression was indecipherable.

"He could never love me," she cried, staring at the floor, "You're his wife. I can't replace you." _And I was so stupid to try._

"She's so weak," he mumbled.

"But, I thought...but, I saw you..." Anna stopped suddenly and stared at her again.

"Anna, he loves you. He needs you. I have to fix this for him. I have to make this right!" She cried.

"He knows I'm alive?" Anna whispered.

"Yes," she said weakly.

"That's a surprise," Hao said sarcastically.

As sympathetic as she was to Tamao's pain, she couldn't control the overwhelming sensation of joy she felt in her stomach. Tamao noticed she was smiling and sighed heavily.

"Why did you lie to me?" She asked suddenly. Tamao looked into her eyes and couldn't tell if she was angry.

"Because..." she paused and closed her eyes, "I wanted to believe it."

"Tamao," she said sadly.

"I wanted him to feel what I feel," she paused, feeling terrible for confessing such a thing, "It was wrong; I admit that now. I can't change the past, but I know I can fix this," she was suddenly angry, "You don't understand! No one understands!"

"So pathetic," he mumbled again, staring at the ceiling.

Anna sat closer to her and placed her hand on her shoulder, "I understand, Tamao. You're frustrated because you love him, but deep down inside you know he'll never feel the same way."

Tamao groaned and moved away from her.

"I'm not trying to make you feel worse. There's nothing wrong with you, Tamao. You deserve to be with someone that loves you. He's just not the one," she sighed and smiled, "Hao is single at the moment. Maybe you two have something in common."

"No thanks," he said blankly, "Her incessant whining and low self esteem would eventually force me slit her throat."

"Hao," Anna snapped at him.

"Or set her on fire," he continued, unfolding his arms and staring at his hand, "But then her cries would just drag on until she burned to death."

Tamao was very uncomfortable with his statements and stared at him fearfully. Anna placed her hand on her shoulder again, ignoring him.

"He's not serious, Tamao," she said kindly.

"I am," he said blankly.

"You'll find him one day. I promise."

"You're not mad at me?" Tamao asked timidly.

"I can't be mad at you," she said warmly, "But don't ever double cross me again."

Tamao laughed nervously and was unsure if she was joking. She stared at her intently and exhaled.

"Thank you, Anna," she said.

"So you're leaving then?" His tone was vacant as if he wasn't interested in her answer.

"Would you miss me?" Anna asked, staring at him intently.

"Never," he replied.

"The fact that I'm here in the first place tells me you're lying," she said, smiling at him.

"Get out, and take the cry baby with you please," he added.

"Thank you for saving my life, Hao," she said warmly, ignoring his rudeness.

He stared at her for a few moments without speaking then slowly walked away, disappearing down the hallway.


	16. Balance

_**This is the final chapter. Thank you so much for reading, and your reviews have been helpful and greatly appreciated. Enjoy the rest of the story.**_

_**-Pulchrite**_

* * *

**Balance**

Yoh was sitting on the front steps of his house staring above him. The clouds were beautifully white and the sky was magnificently blue. One of the clouds looked similar to a pig, and he laughed softly at the thought. Watching the clouds rekindled memories he had of viewing the sky with Anna. Hana was a baby at the time. She sat him on her lap and would giggle as he reached for them, assuming they were large white pillows he could play with. He exhaled deeply and closed his eyes briefly. Glancing at the road for a moment, he noticed Ren was approaching. He was wearing dark denim jeans and a purple collared shirt that fell past his hips. As his view of him improved he was amused by how well the shirt matched his hair and eyes, and he wondered if it were intentional. It took several seconds before Ren was sitting next to him. He hadn't said anything, and the two sat in silence staring ahead as if waiting for something.

"We're friends, aren't we?" Ren asked finally.

"Yeah," Yoh replied calmly.

The silence interrupted the conversation for a few minutes.

"I still think you're an idiot," Ren resumed.

"You think that way about everyone," Yoh replied blankly.

"I should have punched you in the face yesterday," he said calmly.

"Hmm. I'm surprised you didn't," Yoh said with a grin.

"It would have been too difficult to explain to Anna," he said.

Yoh glanced at him and noticed he was staring ahead, "You don't have to apologize to me, Ren," he said.

"I don't plan to," he said quickly.

His statement amused Yoh somehow and he laughed at him, "Do you want to come inside?" He asked.

"If I must," he said blankly.

They walked inside the house and sat at the table near the kitchen. Yoh was very calm, as though the events from yesterday hadn't happened, and Ren stared at him as if waiting for him to address it. When the phone began ringing, the sound interrupted his thoughts and he was visibly disturbed.

"Let me get that," Yoh said as he stood and grabbed the receiver from an adjacent table.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Yoh, it's me," she said calmly.

"Tamao," he sighed.

"I have Hana here with me..." she started.

"Papa!!" He heard Hana call him from somewhere in the background.

"You kidnapped my son?" He asked angrily.

"What? No!" She was offended by his question but continued, "I just picked him up early. We had something to do."

"Tamao, what are you doing?" Yoh suddenly felt exhausted.

"Hey, I want to talk to you," she said calmly.

"What do you want to talk about?" He sighed.

"No, I need to see you in person," she paused suddenly and exhaled.

"Where are you?" He asked, "And why did you take my son out of school?"

"Meet me at the park. The nice spot at the lake," she said, ignoring his questions.

"Where are you, Tamao?" He asked again.

"Okay, meet me there in ten minutes," her voice was high pitched and cheerful.

"Wait, Tamao..." he was interrupted when the line was disconnected.

"What are you going to do?" Ren asked eagerly when he returned the receiver to its base.

He held his hand over his face for a moment and sighed, "I have to go meet her. I don't know what else to do."

"You could call the police," Ren suggested.

"She's not crazy, Ren," Yoh groaned.

"I'll go with you then," he replied while standing.

"No. Stay here in case she comes by with Hana," he said sadly, "I have to do this myself."

* * *

Yoh had been walking in the woods for a few minutes slowly. He was nervous about meeting with Tamao because he wasn't completely sure how he felt about her actions. He was certain that Ren was over reacting about including the police, but he couldn't understand why she wanted to see him and why she had Hana.

"She wouldn't hurt him," he sighed. Although he believed his opinion, he still felt very uneasy about the meeting.

The wind picked up its pace and startled him. He stood still for a few seconds and swallowed hard. Why was he afraid? Tamao had been a friend. She lied to him, and betrayed him. He was sure of those things. But, was she crazy? Did she harm Hana? Would she harm him? His mind ran rapidly with thoughts of intense paranoia and his breathing increased.

"Stop it," he said aloud, "You're over reacting. This is fine. This will be fine. Everything will be fine."

He was disappointed when reaching the lake since he didn't see her anywhere. Glancing around through the trees he groaned and slightly clenched his teeth, "Where is she?" He asked.

"He's here," Tamao whispered. Hana and she were sitting behind a large tree watching him pace around the clearing.

"Do you think Papa will be mad at us?" Hana asked worriedly.

"No way," she replied, smiling at him warmly, "Let's meet them back at the house."

Hana nodded and they tiptoed slowly into the woods out of sight.

"Tamao, where are you?" He called anxiously.

The trees rustled around him and he could sense someone was approaching. He spun around quickly, thinking Tamao was probably trying to scare him and froze when he saw her.

It wasn't Tamao.

They stood in front of each other without speaking as if time stood still. His hands trembled as they hung lifelessly by his sides and his breathing slowed to an almost non-existent rhythm. The tail of his brown shirt caught a small burst of wind and flapped anxiously behind him. Every muscle in his body malfunctioned suddenly, and he was temporarily unable to move. His eyes remained widely exposed as if he had fallen into a trance, and he didn't blink them for several seconds. Thoughts of amazement and excitement flooded his mind, dulling some of the shock his brain was now recovering from. Immediately after this sensation warmed his body, another surfaced just as quickly. _Is this a dream? Am I dreaming?_ Perhaps the woman who was standing in front of him was a figment of his imagination. Maybe her long blond hair wasn't as beautiful, silky and soft as it looked. The long brown dress she was wearing may be covering her legs and ankles because she's floating. There is a possibility that the sunlight could be making her body glow that way, for her loveliness transcended all concepts of rationale and judgment. It was impossible for a man to look into the eyes of a woman that beautiful and not lose consciousness. He blinked his eyes slowly.

She didn't disappear. In fact, she had taken a few steps closer. Her hair was even more beautiful this close. Her smooth skin was now close enough for him to touch it, possibly to confirm with his brain she was standing there. He gazed into her eyes and could feel himself falling away from the thoughts of doubt and fear. Reality was beginning to reinforce itself upon him.

"Yoh," she said softly.

He couldn't believe it. She finally spoke to him. Her smile was much warmer than he remembered, and her voice could have soothed him into a peaceful coma. Suddenly all of the pieces fell into place. He was no longer afraid she would vanish before his eyes. It was Anna. The woman he fell in love with as a teenager; the one he married. She was the mother of his son and his soul mate. She was the only woman who held the key to his heart, who had the ability to control his destiny.

"Anna," he whispered.

She held his hands in front of her and smiled, "I've missed you," she said.

Her warm hands suddenly stirred renewed fear and insecurity. He could feel the nausea brewing menacingly in his stomach and he had become incapable of looking at her any longer. Sighing heavily, he stared down at her hands, forcing the thick strands of his hair to cover his face.

"Yoh, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly, trying unsuccessfully to rekindle his gaze.

"I'm sorry Anna," he whispered.

"Why are you apologizing to me?"

He hesitated a few moments before speaking. The nausea grew more bothersome than before and he suddenly felt dizzy.

"Yoh, are you okay?"

"You were gone," he said suddenly, "You were gone and I thought I lost you."

She didn't respond but tightened her grasp.

"There are things you don't know," he said weakly, hesitating to close his eyes, "Things you wouldn't understand or forgive. I just..."

"It doesn't matter, Yoh," she said softly, interrupting him.

"I think it does. I can't keep anything from you," his eyes began to fill with tears suddenly.

"Nothing else matters except right now," she said, wiping a tear from his eye, "You're here; I'm here. The past is the past, and now we can focus on the future."

"It's not that easy," he whispered.

"Yes it is."

He wanted to respond, but she had grown very impatient with the anticipation of this reunion. Pulling his arms around her waist suddenly, she took a step forward and held him close to her body. He rested his chin on her neck and exhaled as if he had just learned to breathe. She gently pulled a lock of his hair away from his face and spoke softly in his ear.

"I don't want to think about anyone or anything else right now," she said, "All I want is to be in your arms."

He held her tighter and closed his eyes. His fears began to dissipate as the warmth of her body overwhelmed his insecurities. The doubt was rapidly replaced with longing and relief. He dreamed so many times about the day he would be able to hold her in his arms again. This moment was anticipated for so long, even when logic and reason seemed to contradict it. The woman he fell madly in love with was now in his arms and had no intention of leaving. Exuberance and joy consumed his mind, and his hand trembled as he raised it to move her hair away from her eyes. He didn't want to release her, as if doing so would cause her to vanish. Looking into her beautiful eyes was now much easier than before, and he finally put away his indecision and worry. Knowing how they reached this moment in time was now irrelevant. He no longer cared about where she'd been or how she was able to survive. Thoughts of Tamao and Ren became a distant memory. He had even forgotten that Hana was missing.

"I love you," he said finally.

She wanted to hear the words from him, even though she knew he could never love anyone else. He had given his heart to her long ago, and she suddenly felt embarrassed for doubting it. But somehow, hearing them from him now gave her a sensation that couldn't be explained. Hearing those words again made her love for him stronger at a time when she felt there was no way she could ever love him with any higher level of intensity. He kissed her suddenly, and her knees buckled as she remembered how soft his lips are. They danced slowly with hers, lingering longer than normal. She didn't want to lose contact with them. His lips had always hypnotized her in the past, and this day was no different. Time became nonexistent. Her body had fallen under his spell, and his touch stirred the same overwhelming passion as it did the day they married. The grass suddenly disappeared. All noises where nullified from their hearing. They were weightless, floating in the wind of euphoric adoration and peace.

"I'll always love you, Yoh," she said when he kissed her gently on her forehead.

"I know," he said warmly. She rested her head on his chest and he held her tighter. They stood in this embrace for several minutes in silence.

"Take me home," she whispered.

"Okay," he said, smiling at her.

**THE END**


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